1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to misting devices and is particularly directed to personal misting devices for use by sunbathers, loungers and the like.
2. Prior Art
Sunbathing and lounging in the backyard, around a swimming pool and at the beach are popular pastimes, especially in warm or hot climates. However, when sunbathing and lounging outdoors, the individual is often exposed to warm or hot climatic air temperatures, which are often uncomfortable and, at times, distressing for the person to experience. This particular discomfort is frequently caused or heightened by the individual experiencing the direct rays of the sun upon his or her skin. In addition, it has been shown that the direct sunrays can cause damage to the person's skin and that this damage can be diminished or eliminated if a moisturizer or sun screening agent is applied to the skin prior to the skin being exposed to the burning rays of the sun. These heretofore mentioned problems can be reduced by periodically spraying or anointing the sunbather or the lounger with a light mist or film of pure water or water containing a skin moisturizer or sun screening agent. Unfortunately, warmth induces a state of relaxation in the sunbather to the point that the sunbather often becomes so relaxed or drowsy that he or she is reluctant to initiate the effort to cool himself or herself off (i.e., cool his or her skin) or initiate the effort to place a moisturizing or sun screening agent on his or her skin. If, however, little effort was required to perform these tasks, the sunbather would be much more likely to initiate these tasks.
Numerous devices have been proposed and developed heretofore to alleviate or overcome these above-mentioned problems. However, many of the prior art devices intended to either cool the sunbather's skin or facilitate application to the sunbather's skin of a moisturizer or sun screening agent require considerable volition and action on the part of the sunbather, which is behavior that tends to be incompatible with the relaxed, lethargic mood of the sunbather, as previously described. In addition, other prior art devices are permanent fixed installations (impossible to move from one location to another), which prevent or greatly restrict the mobility of the sunbather or the outdoors person who is seeking to have the skin on his body cooled. Permanent fixed installations are also expensive to install. Thus, these permanent fixed cooling, misting devices may be useful only in a given location and cannot be moved to other locations. For example, they can be located adjacent a swimming pool, but can not be moved to a beach, park, a desert or any other desirable sun bathing location. In addition, the area in which the sunbather can move his or her lounge chair may be extremely limited and, hence, can restrict the social interaction of a group of sunbathers or limit the use of these permanent fixed cooling devices. Other prior art misting devices have been designed to spray a mist of liquid only in a very limited area, so as to cover, for example, an arm, a chest, a leg or another selected portion of the sunbather's anatomy and have required the sunbather to exert a great deal of gross motor activity and effort in order to be able to spray a mist of water over his or her entire body. Still other prior art misting devices have been complex mechanisms which have required very considerable maintenance. Other prior art misting devices have been relatively expensive. Thus, none of the prior art misting devices have been entirely satisfactory.